Court upholds jail term appeal

A former Perth restaurant owner, jailed for 15 months at Glasgow High Court last November for repeatedly physically assaulting a woman over a 21-month period, has successfully appealed against his sentence.

Forty-one-year-old Julien Mouly struck the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, on various occasions between January 1, 2013, and October 31, 2014, at various locations in Perth.

But his prison term has now been set aside and a 150-hour Community Payback Order has been imposed instead.

Mouly, who previously held the licence for Sante Wine Bar and Restaurant in St John’s Place, will also be supervised by a social worker for 18 months.

A five-year Non-Harassment Order, imposed following his High Court appearance at the end of November, remains in force.

He didn’t appeal against the order which bans him from contacting the attack victim in any way.

The court was told how, on one occasion on New Year’s Day 2013, Mouly spat at the woman, seized hold of her arm and threw her to the ground before spitting on her.

This assault took place at a restaurant in Perth city centre and a taxi which picked them up from the location.

On another occasion in June, 2014, Mouly struck the woman on the body with an umbrella and on other occasions, he threw her to the ground.

Mouly, who had subsequently been working in Athens, Greece, committed the offences whilst living at a property in Monart Road, Perth.

He pleaded guilty to assault and breach of the peace charges but his plea of not guilty to alleged sexual assaults on the same woman were accepted by prosecutors.

Judge Graham Buchanan QC had deferred sentence for background reports to be obtained.

Defence Advocate Ronnie Renucci told the court that his client owned a restaurant in Perth.

He had subsequently worked as a chef in an Athens eaterie but had lost that job because of the case against him in Scotland.

Passing sentence, Judge Buchanan told Mouly that custody was the only sentence available to him.

He added:“These are vile and degrading assaults.”

But Mouly lodged an appeal against the jail term and that was upheld at Edinburgh High Court last month.